AK and MK FP plan. Is it realistic?

[Sil]

Hello all,

This is our first family Disney trip that we have to plan ourselves. So we could use as much insight and input as possible.
There will be 7 of us, grandparents, parents, and 3 children, aged 9, 3 and 18 mos.
On our first day of trip we plan to go to AK for EMH and then move on to MK after Avatar FOP and NRJ.
Preferred to stay in one park, but availability of FP and EMH schedule ultimately dictate that we need to move to a different park around mid day.

AK will open at 8 am that day. What time do we need to be there? Hoping to ride Avatar FOP, hopefully will also be able to utilize rider switch pass. And hoping to also ride NRJ afterward.
And then maybe a quick bite at Satuli if there is enough time.
We also have FP for that day for Peter Pan’s flight at 12:30, Seven Dwarf MT at 1:30, dining reservation at Liberty Tree tavern at 3:30 pm and FP for Haunted mansion at 5:40 pm.
Does this plan sound realistically possible at all? What time at the latest we need to start heading toward MK?
And most importantly, what is the best mean of transportation from AK to MK? And how long will that take?

Thank you so much !

 

[kjs1976]

When are you going? That could have a huge impact on crowds and timing. Also, I assume you do not have FPs for FOP? If that's the case, I'd be to the AK front gates about 90 min before opening if you truly want to ensure the possibility of getting on FOP. Are you driving? Uber? Resort busses? I'd leave for MK no earlier than an hour before your first FP. It's doable IF everyone in your party can move fast and stay together. If mobility and distractiblility is an issue, then I'd say probably not. Plus, it's probably asking a lot from the kids and grandparents to wait that long and run around that much.

 

[Babsy]

If I were planning on riding FOP and NRJ without a FP+, I would be at the AK at least a 1/2 hour before opening, maybe even an hour before. Others with Rope drop experience will be better able to answer this however.

Travelling to MK:
I think that you will need at least 1 1/2 hours to get from Pandora to Fantasyland, maybe more. It depends upon how long you are waiting for the MK bus and how long the lines are at the MK to get in and how fast you walk. The bus from the AK to the MK will take about 1/2 hour. Allowing another 15 minutes to leave Pandora and get top the bus stop, 20 minutes wait for the bus, 10 minutes waiting at MK entrance and 15 minutes to walk from bus to Fantasyland = 1 1/2 hours. That is the minimum and is too tight, IMO.

If your FP+ at PP starts at 12:30, then you need to be there by 1:30, so that would mean leaving the AK by noon at the very latest. That is risky, however, as any delay would result in missing PP's FP+. Personally, I would probably leave AK at 11:00 at the latest. That allows a longer wait for the bus (it happens) and time for an emergency potty break or a slower walk at either or both parks.

BTW: If all goes well and you are at the MK too early for your first FP+, this is when I would grab a bite to eat at a QS. At this point you know how much time you have before the first FP+ and can relax wile you snack.

Remember, after you finish 7DMT, you can try to change your last FP+ for an earlier time. Perhaps you will be able to ride HM before eating at LTT. then you can book a 4th FP+ for afterwards if you want.

It is all doable, IMO, but its a busy day. have fun!

 

[FCDub]

30 minutes is definitely not early enough to ride FOP without a FP – AK can open up to 30 minutes early. Think up to 90 minutes if you want to be toward the very front. (And you will want to be!)

 

[wdw&sonny]

Be at AK gates by 7:00 AM. You should be able to ride FOP and NRJ by 9:00. Leave AK by 11:30 (you have until 1:30 for your PP FP). Ride PP and SDMT. Move HM FP earlier (something will be available on day of). Leave MK after 3:30 meal. I would not plan on staying all day, through HEA or it will be too long of a day for your group.

Better plan, would be to plan AK on a different day, even with 9:00 AM regular opening and get to the gates at 7:30.

 

[unwritten01]

You can go through Rainforest Cafe to second entrance to have a little more room at least before going in. I think you could do it if you had transportation other than Disney buses and drop Satuli. Getting a FP to FOP would allow you to go to NRJ first and cut back - we did both in 1.5 hours with that. Thinking 4 at best without (after the NRJ ride it by itself was 1 hour). Now the time before that we went right when the park opened (had Pandora for night time hours) and had our run of Dinos and Yetis with no waits. Regardless I hope ya'll have a wonderful trip!

 

[Sil]

Thank you so very much everyone! Geatly appreciated! Sorry, I forgot to mention some detail that would have been useful. This is for April 22, which is the Monday after Easter. We will be staying at Swan and will have our own car too. So if we have to drive our own car to the parks, if this is the easiest/faster way to get this done, we have that option too. Though I’m absolutely clueless about parking at any of Disney parks too.

I might change some of our schedule and just try to stick with one park/day.

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

I would take Disney transportation as the buses drop off right at the entrance to MK.

Using your own car you’d have to park, tram, monorail/ferry to MK - this process can take upwards of an hour depending on time of day.

 

[Sil]

I would take Disney transportation as the buses drop off right at the entrance to MK.

Using your own car you’d have to park, tram, monorail/ferry to MK - this process can take upwards of an hour depending on time of day.

Wow..didn’t realize it can take that long. Thank you so much for the info! Will definitely stick with the bus then.